1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to semiconductors and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for providing a high concentration of dopant into a semiconductor material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Compact high voltage fast photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) require wide-bandgap compound semiconductors, particularly silicon carbide, with a high concentration, deep doping of N-type dopant that contributes electrons to the conduction band. Silicon carbide under evaluation for these applications requires maximizing n-type dopant concentrations and depths not achieved by ion implantation.
The increase in dopant concentration and depth overcomes the major disadvantage of silicon carbide high-power, high-temperature photoconducting devices, namely, high trigger energies for linera-mode operation (Colt J., Hettler C., and Dickens J., “Design and Evaluation of a Compact Silicon Carbide Photoconductive Semiconductor Switch”, IEEE: Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 58, No.2., February 2011, pp 508-511).
US Published application US20120082411A1 to Sullivan et al discloses a high voltage photo switch package module.
High pressure doping of wide bandgap (compound) semiconductor substrates such as wafers can not be conducted by ion implantation since ion implantation is a high vacuum process. For example, ion implantation of nitrogen in silicon carbide has achieved dopant depths on the order of only 100 nm, and creates surface degradation/non-stoichiometry.
The prior art includes (Aoki T., Hatanaka Y., Look, D. C., “ZnO Diode Fabricated by Excimer-Laser Doping” (2002) Applied Physics Letters, 76(22), 3257-3258) excimer laser doped oxygen and nitrogen into zinc oxide at a maximum pressure of 4 atmospheres (58.8 psi). The doped layer was estimated to be approximately 50 nm.
The present invention is an improvement to above prior art and are further developments of semiconductors and wide bandgap materials using thermal energy beams or laser beams by the instant inventor Nathaniel R. Quick PhD. Discussion of semiconductors and wide bandgap materials and the processing thereof using thermal energy beams or laser beams are set forth in the following U.S. Patents that are hereby incorporated by reference into the present application as if fully set forth herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,741; U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,841; U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,042; U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,562; U.S. Pat. No. 5,837,607; U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,576; U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,609; U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,375; U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,693; U.S. Pat. No. 6,939,748; U.S. Pat. No. 6,930,009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,695; U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,422; U.S. Pat. No. 7,268,063; U.S. Pat. No. 7,419,887; U.S. Pat. No. 7,951,632; U.S. Pat. No. 7,811,914 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,897,492.
Therefore, it is an objective of this invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for providing a high concentration of dopant into a material.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for forming a material having a dopant solubility to maximum solubility greater than (1020 atoms/cc nitrogen in SiC).
Another objective of this invention is to provide a material having a dopant solubility to maximum solubility greater than 1020 atoms/cc nitrogen in SiC.
Another objective of this invention is to provide a catalyst having high energy site.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for making a material having a high concentration of dopant through laser processing.
Another objective of this invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for making a material having a high concentration of dopant through a plasma arc lamp processing.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention, the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.